March 2024 at the SECD Lab
Welcome to another month of lab highlights from the SECD team. This month at the lab, we celebrated SEL Day, promoted Women’s History Month, and, as always, spread awareness about important SEL topics! Recently, our primary focus has been on sharing strategies to implement a growth mindset and active learning for children in the classroom.
SEL Day: March 8th, 2024
On the days leading up to SEL Day, the Digital Communication and Social Media (DCSM) team celebrated by crafting various graphics and media to advocate for the big day. Check out our social media pages linked down below to see how our lab spread awareness about SEL and SEL Day though our Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and Podcast!
SEL Day is celebrated on the second Friday of March to spread awareness on the positive effects of Social Emotional Learning. With the help the Digital Communications and Social Media team, the SECD Lab once again made top ten on the #SELday leaderboard. We placed at #7 internationally, with ten different badges awarded and ninety-five points accumulated!
Women’s History Month
The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously quipped that there should be nine women on the Supreme Court to reflect gender equality, highlighting the ongoing struggle for women's representation and rights. Women's History Month acknowledges the progress made, such as granting women the right to vote, but also underscores persistent challenges.
Blaming Women for Men's Unhappiness: Recent discussions suggest that gender parity has affected relationship dynamics, with some blaming women for men's dissatisfaction and even violent behavior. This framing unfairly scapegoats women and sidesteps deeper societal issues.
Underrepresentation in History: Women's contributions to various fields often go unrecognized, resulting in an incomplete understanding of history. Women's History Month aims to rectify this by spotlighting their achievements and contributions.
Gender Pay Gap: Despite strides toward equality, women still earn less than men for the same work, perpetuating the message that women are undervalued. Advocacy for equal pay remains crucial to addressing this systemic issue.
Overall, Women's History Month serves as a platform to honor women's accomplishments, challenge stereotypes, and advocate for gender equality in all spheres of life. Suggestions for celebrating and supporting women's achievements are provided by organizations like the NSLS and governmental resources.
Resources:
2024 WHM Theme - National Women's History Alliance (nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org)
Five Influential Women in Education (sunburst.com)
The Importance of Women's History Month (nsls.org)
Growth Mindset
The difference of having a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset greatly influences individuals' approaches to challenges and learning.
Fixed mindset: Individuals with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities are static and cannot be changed. They may avoid challenges, give up easily, and see failure as a reflection of their inherent incompetence.
Growth mindset: Conversely, those with a growth mindset believe that abilities can be developed through dedication and effort. They embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and view failure as an opportunity for growth and learning.
While everyone may exhibit elements of both mindsets at different times, fostering a growth mindset is crucial for students' academic and personal development. However, shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset requires deliberate effort and consistent reinforcement.
In the classroom, educators can promote a growth mindset by:
Praising effort over innate ability: Instead of praising students for being inherently smart or talented, acknowledge their hard work and perseverance.
Normalizing failure as part of the learning process: Encourage students to view mistakes as opportunities for improvement and resilience-building rather than signs of incompetence.
Providing opportunities for improvement: Offer students chances to retry tasks or assignments after learning from their mistakes, emphasizing progress rather than perfection.
Recognizing and celebrating improvement: Value and acknowledge students' progress and growth, regardless of their starting point or current level of achievement.
Teachers can also support students in transitioning from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset by addressing their specific challenges and offering tailored strategies for overcoming them. Through consistent encouragement, guidance, and opportunities for reflection and growth, educators can help cultivate a classroom culture that fosters resilience, determination, and a passion for learning.
Resources:
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: A Practical Guide for Teachers (weareteachers.com)
How to Nurture a Growth Mindset in Kids: 4 Best Tips (splashlearn.com)
You Can Do It! Children’s Books That Promote a Growth Mindset | Brightly (readbrightly.com)
Mindset Quotes by Carol S. Dweck (goodreads.com)
Cultivating a Growth Mindset Schoolwide | Edutopia
Active Listening
The importance of teaching effective listening skills to students is underscored by statistics revealing that over 60% of misunderstandings arise from poor listening. Compared to just 1% from poor reading, this emphasizes the need to incorporate listening activities into the curriculum. Active listening, characterized by full attention and understanding without distraction, contrasts with passive listening, akin to multitasking. Teaching active listening not only enhances classroom engagement but also extends benefits to students' academic and personal lives.
Benefits of active listening include:
Improved retention of information
Reduced frustration
Enhanced self-efficacy
Accelerated language acquisition for dual language learners
Active listening fosters communication, social-emotional development, and empathy, enriching students' overall academic experience.
To facilitate the development of active listening skills, educators can employ strategies such as minimizing distractions and incorporating multisensory learning activities. Some engaging activities to make learning about active listening enjoyable and effective for students include mindful listening meditation, string telephone projects, and outdoor sound scavenger hunts.
Resources:
Active Listening to Support Inclusive Teaching (slu.edu)
A Guide to Active Listening Skills in Education - Education Corner
TikTok
Additional Resources
Check out how different organizations and networks are supporting SEL and promoting social and emotional intelligence in schools to improve the education system for students!
Developing Students’ SEL and Character Across Tiers: We Must Help All Students Believe That They Matter (passcode: !!46xY3V)
Watch a recording of Dr. Elias’ webinar for the NJ Association of School Psychologists!
AOK is a wonderful foundation that gives out scholarships to low-income students to support their learning how to play musical instruments and build their SEL skills. Help support their mission by attending their “Let Them Dream Big“ concert on Sunday, May 19th at Shore Regional High School.
Additional Links
School Culture and Climate Initiative Newsletter - March 2024 (constantcontact.com)
Stay Connected with Us!
To keep up to date with our lab on a day to day basis, please go follow our social media accounts! We are on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest. We also have a podcast titled, SECD On Demand! Check it out wherever you may listen to your podcasts!